Halo 3 Map Information

[Zone 117]

Quote: Originally Posted by -DeToX-

Quote: Originally Posted by Shoot3r101

Im a programmer and understand hex basics. I'll see what I can accomplish over the weekend. Ill try opening the map using hex or somethin. And yes i'll edit the config file with a handy program I got.

To be honest. I don't see you accomplishing anything soon. Me and some people have already seen the map format. Its much different.

Alot is uncompiled, such as snippets of XML in the XML table, which was added for this delta version, but may later be compiled

Halo 2 in the Meta table wrote the tag class, in h3, theres a tagclass table, and theres a short index before the text string, and in the meta table, you use a short to index the tagclass in the tagclass table, this saves 2 bytes of space per meta item in the meta table.

Also everything in halo 3 is big endian, because unlike the first xbox, xbox 360 reads big endian, which you would make your own method for because .NET doesn't come with one.

Also although the script table and many other things haven't changed...

We beleive there is a magic or another constant for the pointer used to find the Index Header, because it is not just written normally as big endian, or little endian.

The mapname and scenariostring is shifted 4 bytes in the meta header.

The idents have a quad of blank bytes before then, before initializing itself with...

<ID, as short> <TAGCLASS, normal, not backwards, because its big endian>

Not much has really changed, but I don't see half of you understanding this until someone else shows you how.

Well we found a way to the index header before, but heh its kinda weird. You read a 32-bit endian swapped at offset 20, do the same at 764, add them together, to get a pointer, and read backwards till you hit the 4 chars of "tags" and you are at the end of the index header.

Signing is fairly easy too, you would just do a similar method to halo 2, with xoring/powering each int, only you would do it with an 8bit(byte) signed of course for every byte after the map header(2048 length/block of data)


SKeTcHiESK8eR
Your acting like you found something. All you did was search for a string and you don't even know what it is.

Its a string from the string table. A meta may reference that via StringID.


SKeTcHiESK8eR
You also said someone can edit a halo 2 program to work with halo 3 because they are similar? You are a joke, they are nothing alike, redoing a program is pointless, you might aswell make a new one.

Detox is a genius, he can remake Entity, DotHalo, and Insolence in less than a week (actually... he already has, he is working on something and it's going to be huge...) So take whatever he says about modding to be gospel. So until you can understand every word of what he said above, and can edit it in the map, don't make assumptions that you can just open an H3 map in Dothalo (or whatever you guys think), or just open it in Hex Workshop and randomly change stuff, and mod it.


Zone actually Poke and Anthony deserve the credit for the h3 crap. ;x I just found some other things, but they are the ones that did things like tag loading. I just found things like the script table, unicode table, Signature, and how Idents work. meh... ~DeToX

[-DeToX-]

We found magics, found how to calculate the pointer to the index header, learned to index the tagclass header. We now have tag loading with Ident swapping and signing etc.

[Carbon]

wow thats amazing i really can't wait

[Carson]

I'll pretend like I have a clue what you guys are talking about

[tteape]

Detox read the pm Im about to send you

[Se7eN MasTa]

Sounds good but don't mod Halo 3 for cheaters
http://www.se7ensins.com/forums/gene...ight=xbox+live

[Jay]

I just realized something, the beta will probably work forever you just won't be able to play it, notice how there's no customs or anything. It's all matchmaking so they're just going to take down the servers. All you'll be able to do is watch your saved games unless someone figures out how get the custom game option working.

[bigstack14]

actually has anyone tried to system link the beta yet --- dose system link work cause if is dose we may have something --- i was thinking is sys. link works then all we would have to do is prevent the beta from being deleted off of the 360 (if it expires haven't looked).. if it dose get deleted you could always just reload it back on with xport--- idk i will have to take a look... any help would be greatfull

[jacob is gay]

sweet

[-DeToX-]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jay

I just realized something, the beta will probably work forever you just won't be able to play it, notice how there's no customs or anything. It's all matchmaking so they're just going to take down the servers. All you'll be able to do is watch your saved games unless someone figures out how get the custom game option working.

Actually the button that says Play Halo 3 Beta checks online or something for access to launch it. Thats why you need to be signed into live to play it. So you won't be even able to launch it.

[phoenix9262]

so yeah, who else can't wait to be a modder for halo 3?

[Forgoten Dynasty]

yeah they said that one the beta is down you will go in to crack down and instead of saying download or play halo 3 beta it will say delete

[Voe Guy]

hey guys, in the mainmenu.map there is a main menu from an older version of the beta or the internal version of the beta (if its from the internal version you may be able to play over system link), do you think that you guys could find a way of accesing the beta through this menu to play offline. i have no idea if it is posible but im sure that some of you guys could find a ground breaking way to do it, or shoot the idea down in flames. lol